Method of uniting fabric sections



. J BERGER, 18. METHOD OF UNlTlNG FABRIC SECTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27, 1916.

v Patented Aug. 17'

1920. I 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. BERGER, JR. METHOD OF UNITING FABRIC SECTIONS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 2Z| 1-916- 7 w 3 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

'1. BERGER, Jn.' METHOD 0E UNITING FABRIC SECTIONS APPLICATION FILED DEC.27, I9IB- Patented Aug. 17,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

0. o aavwl 1 m UNITED STATES JOSEPH BERGER, JB., 0E m ca, NEW YORK, nssrenon 'ro UNION srEcLu. COMPANY, or cnrcnco, rumors, A coaromrron or ILLINOIS.

PATENT OFFICE.

nacnmE METHOD OF UNITING FABRIC SECTIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed December 27, 1916. Serial No. 139,097.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BERGER, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Utica in the county of. ()nelda, State of New ork, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Methods of Uniting Fabric Sections, of which the following is-a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in methods of uniting fabrlc sections, and more particularly to the method of attaching a collarette to a garment.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of attaching one fabric section to another, wherein the edges to be united are prepared-by trimming and are overlapped and joined by stitching, which not only connects the edge portions of the fabric sections, but also covers the trimmed ed es of said fabric sections.

1 further object of the invention is to providea method of connecting fabric sections, as for example the attaching of a collarette to the garment and the shaping of the ends of the collarette as it is joined to the garment.

in the drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the parts of the sewing machine which may be used in carrying out my improved method;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a portion of a garment having a collarette attached thereto by my improved method;

- Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing more or less diagrammatically the position of the trimmers, the stitching mechanism and the position of the fabric sections at the beginning of the operation of stitching the col larette to "a garment;

Fig. 4 is a similar view, but showing the straight portion of the collarette being stitched to the garment;

Fig. 5 is a similar View, but showing the end of the operation wherein the collarette strip is shifted for tapering the same;

Fig. 6. is a similar view,'but showing the beginning and end of the operation and the manner of tapering the collarette;

Fig. 7 is a view showing diagrammatically the manner of connecting the collarette to the neck of the garment;

Fig. 8 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically another manner of connecting overlapped fabric sections. The invention is directed broadly to the io ning of fabric sections to form a covered appe seam, and consists in uniting the edge portions of the fabric sections by a. stitching mechanism forming parallel rows of needlethread loops below the fabric sections to form covering stitches, and trimming both edge portions in advance of and simultaneously with the stitching of the seam so that said edge por tions will terminate in overlapped relation and within the limits of the concatenated stitchin threads. This may accomplished%) fabric sections to be connected out of the plane of the positioned trimming said edge portions. The edge portions after the are trimmed are returned to the plane 0 the fabric sections with the edge portions overlapped. They are then directed to a stitching mechanism wherein the needles of the stitching mechanism are so disposed that the trimmed edge portions will be covered by the stitching threads. 7

When it is desired to shape one of the sections which are to be joined, this may be accomplished by shifting the fabric section relative to the trimming point. This would vary the line of trimming andresult in the shaping of the strip as desired. I have applied my improved method to the attaching of a collarette to the body of a garment. The coll'are'tte strip is folded longitudinally so'as to superpose the edge portions thereof. These superposed edge portions and the neck of the garment are turned out of the plane of the fabric sections and are trimmed. After the edges have been trimmed, they are returned to their normal plan'esand in overlapped relation to each other and then they are united by stitching which not only connects the overlapped portions but also covers said trimmed edges. In order that theCollarette may be shaped at the be ginning andending of the operations, it is shifted relative to the trimming point so as to taper its ends.

The method may perhaps be better under stood by a brief reference to a stitching mechanism which may be used in connection with thecarrying out 'bf' the method. In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown a porconnected above and fabric sections and when so tion of a sewing machine which includes a work support 1 and a needle bar 2 carrying two needles 3 and i. Cooperating with the needles above the work support is a crossthread-laying mechanism consisting of a fixed thread guide 5 and a thread hook 6, which moves across the line of feed, enga es the thread passing through the thread guide and forms a loop therein for the entrance of the needle which is farthest from the thread guide. This cross thread thusjoins the needle threads on the upper face of the material. Cooperating with the needles beneath the work support is a suitable looper (not shown), which connects the needle threads beneath the fabric sections.

In advance of the stitching mechanism is a trimming mechanism consisting of a stationary trimmer blade 7 and a movable trimmer blade 8. I These trimmer blades are mounted in a horizontal plane and are adapted to trim the edges of the fabric sections which extend vertically between the trimming members; The sections are held on the work support by a presser foot 9 which is formed with needle openings 10, and with a slot 11 adapted to receive the upturned edges of the fabric sections which are to be trimmed and joined.

In Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings I have shown a collarette strip as being attached to the neck of a garment by my improved method. The collarette strip is indicated at S, while the body fabric or garment is indicated at F. The collarette strip S is folded intermediate its side edges, so as to superpose the side portions 8 and 8'. These superposed edge portions are turned out of the plane of the collarette strip, and together with the edge portion of the garment which is also turned out of the plane thereof, are directed into the slot in the presser foot, so that the upturned edges of the collarette strip and the body portion of the garment will pass between the trimmers and be trimmed.

The presser foot is provided with a projecting guide which forces the trimmed edge portion of the garment down into the plane of the garment just after it is trimmed, and also forces this edge portion of the garment underneath the trimmed edge portions of the collarette strip. The turned-up portion of the collarette strip is then returned to the plane of the collarette strip and on to the trimmed edge portion of the garment, so that they slightly overlap, as clearly indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

In this figure of the drawings, the needle thread loops formed by the needle 3 are indicated at 3 while the needle thread loops formed by the needle 4 are indicated at 4?." The cross threads are indicated at 5- and the looper thread at 1. From this figure it will be noted that while the edge portions of the collarette strip overlap the edge portion of the garment, these overlapped edges are within the limits of the stitching mechanism; that is, the needle 4 passes through the collarette strip but outside of the edge of the garment, while the needle 3 passes through the garment only and just outside of the edge of the collarette strip.

The collarette strip will be joined to the neck of the garment by the stitching and this stitching will cover the trimmed edges of the fabric sections. Where the fabric sections are overlapped, as referred to above, they will with certainty remain in overlapped condition.

In order that the collarette strip may be shaped at the beginning of the operation, it is raised relative to the trimming point. so that the trimming of the collarette begins at the fold in the same. As the joining of the collarette to the garment proceeds, the collarette strip is lowered, that is, it is turned up to a less extent. This results in a trimming of the collarette strip at a distance from the fold therein which gradually increases and results in a tapering of the end of the collarette strip which is attached to the neck of the garment.

When the other end of the collarette stripis reached, as indicated in Fi 5, said strip is raised and the trimming 0 the collarette strip is gradually brought nearer and nearer to the fold, until finally the trimming of the collarette strip ceases at the fold in the collarette strip. Thus the distance between the trimmed edges and the fold in the collarette strip gradually decreases and the collarette stri is tapered.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings have shown two fabric sections indicated at F and F which have been joined by my improved method; that is, the edge portions have been turned out of the plane of the fabric sections, trimmed and finally returned to the overlapped relation shown in the figure. These overlapped edges are joined by stitching including needle threads a and n, a cross thread 0 and a looper thread Z.

The invention in its broadest aspects is directed to a method of forming a covered lapped seam wherein the edge portions are trimmed simultaneously with the stitching thereof, and wherein the trimmed edges are so related that said edge portions will terminate in overlapped relation and within the limits of the concatenated stitching threads whereby the overlapped edge portions will be joined and the trimmed edge portions thereof will be covered by said threads.

It is obvious that the steps in the method which have been described may be varied within certain limits without departing from the spirit of the invention which is set forth in the appended claims.

having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. The method of forming a covered lapped seam consisting in uniting theedge portions of fabric sectlons to form the seam by a stitching mechanism forming parallel rows of needle thread loops connected above and below the fabric sections to form covering stitches and trimming both edge portions in advance of and simultaneously with the stitching of the seam, so that said edge portions will terminate in overlapped relation and within the limits of the concatenated stitching threads, whereby the overlapped edge portions will be joined and the trimmed edges thereof will be covered by said threads.

2. The method of uniting fabric sections consisting in turning the edge portions of the fabric sections to be united out of the plane of the fabric sections, trimming said edge portions, shifting one of said sections relative to the point of trimming for shaping said section, returning the trimmed edge portions into the plane of the fabric sections, and uniting said edge portions by stitching which covers the trimmed edges larette strip, turning t e edge portion of the neck of the garment and the superposed edge portions of the collarette strip out of the plane of the garment and the collarette strip, trimming said edge portions, shifting the collarette strip only relative to the trimming point at the beginning and ending of the stitching operation for tapering the ends of said collarette strip, returning said edge portions to their normal plane as they are trimmed and uniting said edge portions by stitching which cover said trimmed edge.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EARL C. CLARK, E. J. GRILL. 

